Handbag Design Contest

It's that time again for all handbag designers who want to enter into this yearly contest to start thinking about their submissions. The competition is called The 5th Annual Independent Handbag Designer Awards. They have a ton of different categories that you can apply for. It looks like there will be nine winners. Here are the categories:

Best Handbag in Overall Style & Design
InStyle Red Carpet Ready Evening Bag
Artisan House Award by Isabella Fiore
Best Use of SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS
Best Student Made Handbag Inspired by the colors of vitaminwater
Best Handmade Handbag
Best Green Handbag
Most Socially Responsible Handbag
Audience Fan Favorite Handbag

Here's the link for more information:

"http://www.handbagdesigner101.com/ihda" target="_blank"> http://www.handbagdesigner101.com/ihda

Good luck on winning and if you do decide to enter the contest post a link here of your handbag submission. I would love to see it :)



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Getting Started in Fashion Design

Happy New Year! Glad to continue posting here for another year. It's my pleasure to share information about the how to's of the fashion design industry with these posts. So, thank you for joining me for another year!

Here's a post that I think you will really enjoy. How do you know if your designs will fly? Meaning, will other people think that they are cool enough to buy? Well, I came across this site that I think you will absolutely LOVE! It's a super cool site where you can upload your fashion illustration sketches and have your online community vote "yea! or nay :(".

Here's the chance for you to test your designs while they are in illustration stage before you produce a collection. We don't have time to waste money these days therefore, we need to be as much on target as we possibly can. On this site, you'll have reviews and insights that could help you tailor to your market better. We could all use honest opinions when it comes to our work and not the sugar coated compliments that we get from our mom. We need honest opinions from our potential customers.

So check out this link. The site is called: http://wouldyourockthis.com/

Try it out! It's a very colorful and inviting site.

If you want to practice your fashion illustration skills. This same company, Would you Rock this, also holds fashion illustration meet up sessions where you can practice your skills on a live model. I think these meet up sessions are in New York City only. Here's the link for more details: www.meetup.com/FashionDrawingSession

Let me know if you've tested out your designs on this site, I would love to see them. It's all about sharing and growing.

I hope that you've found this tip on getting started in fashion design useful.



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Want to check out what I'm doing in my biz, newyorkaccents.com? Come and check out my facebook page where you'll be in the loop about free product give-aways, fashion accessories cool news and tidbits, my new product updates and more!

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Upcoming Fashion Apparel Trade Shows

Hi Everyone, the new year is upon us. Do you already have your fashion/trade show schedule already planned? You can use this widget to go to biztrade.com and get more details for shows that you are interested in. This site is very detailed. You can filter trade shows by country or industry and it seems to be pretty up to date.

To use this widget, click on any link that you are interested in or go to the bottom of the widget where it says "View All" you will be taken to their site to view the list of upcoming shows!

Good Luck and Best Wishes in Promoting and Selling Your Designs!

Want to check out what I'm doing in my biz, newyorkaccents.com? Come and check out my facebook page where you'll be in the loop about free product give-aways, fashion accessories cool news and tidbits, my new product updates and more!

Join me on facebook for cool fashion accessories with a twist!

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The Beauty of Resting, Know when to Rest

What do you mean rest in this day of being virtually plugged-in 24/7? Some days our bodies and spirit need a day off from the routine of workaholism. I know this routine all too well. I used to work all day and many nights at jobs that I was not happy in. This only lead to stress and the idea of feeling guilty of taking time off was insane. What a horrible position to be in? This situation also robbed me of my creativity. How can you flow and share your creative talents if you're overworked?

Wherever you are in your life, I hope that you are taking advantage of your personal days and use them when you need to not only use sick days when you are physically sick. Life is way to beautiful to miss out on the simplicity of resting and being re-energized. Besides as designers, artists and entreprenuers, we definitely need some down time to re-charge our creative batteries.

Try this for one day:
*Go for a walk, jog or do your favorite exercise
*Eat the very best food you can afford
*Don't use the computer, cell phone or any electronic gadget, instead read a book, sketch some new ideas or write in your journal. Oh and no, tv well maybe you can watch tv if you choose but, why not go all the way and enjoy some free time away from the tube.

Enjoy the beauty of resting!

The next day, resume your life as normal and see how you feel. I am actually going to try this this coming weekend so I will let you know how it goes!

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Freelance Fashion vs Full-Time Jobs

It's so good to know that we have options in the work world. Depending on our desires at a specific time in our work life we can choose to either work full-time or freelance. Both has it's pros and cons. I'd like to share some of the benefits from my experiences.

Freelance Pros:
-Flexibility: Great to do when you need the flexibility to work on your own projects, meet clients and exhibit or attend shows.
-Focused: Most freelance jobs are very specific so, you don't have to juggle too many tasks that you are not assigned to do.
-Exposure: Working at different jobs builds your experience of working in various computer systems and, job cultures more quickly than at a full-time permanent job.
-Insurance: Health insurance may be available through your freelance agency.

Freelance Cons:
-Pay: Income may not be steady depending on how aggressive one is in finding work (includes working outside of the freelance agencies)


Full-Time Pros:
-Pay: Great for "continuous" pay (as long as your position is needed). You may earn enough to have the money you need to continuously fund your projects if necessary.
-Growth: Career growth and build relationships based on your interest in moving forward with your company.
-Insurance: Most likely to have health insurance options.

Full-Time Cons:
-Time Consuming: Definitely time consuming which includes, time dedicated to the full work day plus any over-time and, commuting back and forth to a job. This may or may not become a challenge in working on your own projects depending on how organized and determined one is.

Share your own pros and cons of working freelance and full-time by posting a comment here.

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Fashion Week is Here Again! Manuel De La Cruz, The Sky's the Limit

It's so exciting to be a part of this creative industry. Every season, you have the chance to view your favorite designer's collection. In this case, I will be attending the Manuel De La Cruz show this Saturday. I love seeing friends in a position to show their work to a wide audience such as Manuel.

So who is Manuel De La Cruz? Manuel is originally from Guatemala. He has studied at some of the finest schools in Milan, Florence and even at the famed Parsons the New School for Design in New York City to prepare for his career in design. He's worked behind the scenes as a designer for top notch, well known designers that we all love, Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Givenchy and more! My goodness, with a background this extensive it's obvious that Manuel would break out and design his own collection. Wouldn't you?

Manuel will present his Spring/Summer 2011 collection this Saturday September 11th at the Metropolitan Pavilion in NYC. As noted in the press release, this collection is inspired by Semana Santa (Holy Week) from his native traditions in Guatemala.




Visit Manuel's site to view his previous collections and to read more about his bio.
manuel-delacruz.com

Fashion is so much fun! With dedication, creative talents and an audience, the sky's the limit.


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Start a Fashion Line & Get Noticed - 3 Quick Tips!

Ok, so what’s the deal with breaking into the fashion design business? My good friend Minna Kao is definitely getting the press to notice her designs. She’s been reviewed in so many fashion articles as someone to lookout for in the bridal scene. She’s a designer in NYC who is super talented. Her label is MinnaK. She designs the most beautiful evening gowns and she does this all while working a full-time job in fashion as a Production Associate for a major corporation.

Minna shares a few tips with you that you can use to start your own fashion line and propel your career!

1) Finding Your Target Audience

Go to the stores that you think your customers go to and research price points, style, what's in (not the sales rack), and the color scheme.

2) Cutting Costs

Start by silk-screening t-shirts or making things from your home. If it looks professional, no one would know it came from the garage, and you can possibly find backers to help support your love of design. The internet is an economical way to spread the word, and the most popular. It is extremely saturated, but research all the social networks, and put yourself out there.

3) Designing and Promoting Your Biz while Working Full-Time

It is extremely difficult to work full time AND come home and work. When I have an idea, I need the mental space to conceptualize it so, I've created a schedule for myself in order to stay disciplined. I love designing. I won't ever stop, so for me, it's worth those extra hours to do what I love until I can do it full time.

In addition, I find inspiration in the strength of women and children, so I want my love of design to generate money so that I can return it to my favorite organization - Foundation For International Medical Relief of
Children.


*Minna Kao pictured in the center with two models wearing her gowns.


Check out MinnaK’s collection at:http://www.minnak.com/collection

Visit MinnaK's blog at: http://minnak.com/blog





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